Afghanistan
Angola
Argentina
Asia (AFC)
Asian Games
Australia
Belgium-Netherlands
Brazil
Burkina Faso
Central American & Caribbean Games
Central American Games
Congo DR
Denmark
England
Europe (UEFA)
FYR Macedonia
Finland
Germany
Greece
International Tournaments
Italy
Mediterranean Games
Mexico
National
Nepal
North & Central America (Concacaf)
Palestine
Pan American Games
Panama
Russia
Scandinavia
Serbia And Montenegro
South American Games
Spain
Syria
USA
Venezuela
World (FIFA)
Yemen
Zimbabwe

Preview: Stuttgart vs. Union Berlin - prediction, team news, lineups

sportsmole.co.uk, 6 March 2024, 12:07
Stuttgart will be bidding to stretch their unbeaten run in the Bundesliga to seven matches when they welcome Union Berlin to the MHPArena on Friday night.

The hosts are third in the table, four points behind second-placed Bayern Munich, while Union Berlin occupy 14th position, eight points clear of 16th-placed FC Koln.

Match preview

Stuttgart have finished 15th and 16th in their last two Bundesliga campaigns, while they have not claimed a top-three finish in Germany's top flight since 2008-09, but an excellent season has left Die Roten in third, boasting 50 points from their 24 league matches in 2023-24.

Sebastian Hoeness's side have won 16, drawn two and lost six of their 24 league games this term, and they will bring a six-match unbeaten run in Germany's top flight into this contest.

Stuttgart have won five and drawn one of their last six Bundesliga fixtures, including a 3-2 success over Wolfsburg last time out.

The Reds have been impressive on home soil this season, picking up 29 points from 12 matches, and they will be welcoming a Union Berlin outfit that have won just twice on their travels in the league in 2023-24.

Stuttgart recorded a 3-0 victory when the two teams locked horns in the reverse match back in October, but Union Berlin have triumphed in two of their last three Bundesliga fixtures.

Union Berlin finished fourth in the Bundesliga last season, but there has been a big drop-off this season, with the team currently down in 14th position in the table.

The Iron Ones boast a record of seven wins, four draws and 13 defeats from their 24 league matches this season to collect 25 points, which has left them eight points ahead of 17th-placed FC Koln.

Nenad Bjelica was brought in as head coach due to the team's struggles in the opening months of the 2023-24 campaign, and he boasts a record of five wins, four draws and five defeats from his 14 games at the helm.

Union Berlin will enter this match off the back of a 2-0 home defeat to Borussia Dortmund, but they had been on a four-game unbeaten run in the Bundesliga ahead of the clash with BVB.

The capital outfit have struggled for goals this season, only finding the back of the net on 23 occasions, which is the third-worst attacking record in the Bundesliga, and they will be taking on a Stuttgart outfit that have netted 55 times in their 24 league games this term.

Stuttgart Bundesliga form:

W

W

W

W

D

W

Stuttgart form (all competitions):

W

L

W

W

D

W

Union Berlin Bundesliga form:

L

D

W

W

D

L

Team News

Stuttgart will be without the services of four first-team players for this match, with Roberto Massimo, Samuel di Benedetto, Dan-Axel Zagadou and Nikolas Nartey unavailable for selection.

Meanwhile, Genki Haraguchi will need to be assessed, as he bids to recover from an illness.

The in-demand Serhou Guirassy has scored 20 times in the Bundesliga during the 2023-24 campaign, and he will again lead the Stuttgart line on Friday, while Enzo Millot should also keep his spot out wide.

As for Union Berlin, Oluwaseun Ogbemudia remains an injury doubt, but Robin Gosens will be back for the visitors on Friday evening, having served a suspension.

There are not expected to be any real surprises in the away side's XI here, with a 3-5-2 formation set to include Rani Khedira in central midfield.

Kevin Volland has only managed two Bundesliga goals this season but will again feature in the final third of the field, and there should also be another start for Benedict Hollerbach.

Stuttgart possible starting lineup:

Nubel; Rouault, Anton, Ito; Vagnoman, Karazor, Stiller, Mittelstadt; Millot, Guirassy, Fuhrich

Union Berlin possible starting lineup:

Ronnow; Doekhi, Leite, Vogt; Juranovic, Tousart, Khedira, Schafer, Gosens; Volland, Hollerbach

We say: Stuttgart 2-0 Union Berlin

Union Berlin have only lost one of their last five Bundesliga matches, but they will be coming up against a Stuttgart side in excellent form. The hosts are winning a lot of games at the moment, and we are expecting them to put another three points on the board on Friday night in routine fashion.

Previews by email

Top News

14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Kazakhstan vs. Austria (Thursday, 3.00pm) Amid a three-way battle for promotion from League B Group 3, Austria aim to improve their prospects with a win on Thursday, when they meet Kazakhstan in the UEFA Nations League. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Athletico Paranaense can temporarily climb out of the Brasileiro Serie A relegation zone with a victory over Atletico Mineiro on Saturday at Arena de Baixada. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England interim manager Lee Carsley has played down Harry Kane's strong words about the withdrawal of many of his teammates, insisting he is looking forward to working with other players who also deserve a chance. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly fearful that Lisandro Martinez could spend an extended spell on the sidelines with the hip injury that has forced him to withdraw from Argentina duty. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Sporting Lisbon wing-back Maximiliano Araujo has hinted that he hopes to join Pep Guardiola at Manchester City in the near future. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Morocco will be looking to maintain their 100% record in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers when they visit the Stade de Franceville to take on Gabon on Friday. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk San Marino will hope to leapfrog Gibraltar and prevent them from earning promotion from their UEFA Nations League D group when they welcome them to Stadio Olimpico di Serravalle on Friday. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk In their fifth UEFA Nations League C match of 2024-25, Northern Ireland are set to host Belarus on Friday at Windsor Park, with victory enough to guarantee a place in the top two. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Zimbabwe will be hoping to book their place at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations when they face Kenya on matchday five of qualifying this Friday at the Peter Mokaba Stadium. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United could reportedly move for Everton centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite and Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez during next summer's transfer window. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool should arguably be considered favourites for Premier League glory after they took charge of the title race last weekend when they beat Aston Villa 2-0 at Anfield and moved five points ahead of second-placed Manchester City. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Burnley could reportedly offer Ruud van Nistelrooy the chance to make a swift return to English football, with the Clarets interested in bringing him in as their new manager. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Cristiano Ronaldo is set to lead Portugal out in Porto when they face Poland in the UEFA Nations League on Friday night. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England captain Harry Kane has expressed his disappointment at the number of players to have withdrawn from the Three Lions squad for their UEFA Nations League fixtures with Greece and Republic of Ireland. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona centre-back Pau Cubarsi has been handed a call-up to the Spain squad for the national team's November international fixtures against Denmark and Switzerland in the UEFA Nations League. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid youngster Marc Cucalon has been forced to retire from professional football at the age of 19 due to a serious knee injury which he suffered in the latter stages of 2022. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona have revealed that Ansu Fati has been ruled out for around four weeks with a hamstring injury. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Portugal manager Roberto Martinez is facing a crisis at centre-back ahead of their UEFA Nations League clash with Poland in Porto on Friday night. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Portugal welcome Poland to Porto on matchday five of the UEFA Nations League on Friday night. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has said that it is "the right moment" for Ruben Amorim to arrive at Old Trafford, claiming that the Portuguese "did something very special" at Sporting Lisbon. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal defender Ben White has apparently gone under the knife to treat a joint issue in his knee, which will sideline the Englishman for around two months. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid have reportedly identified Al-Nassr centre-back Aymeric Laporte and Tottenham Hotspur right-back Pedro Porro as two of their top defensive targets for 2025. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool are reportedly among three Premier League clubs interested in FC Nordsjaelland full-back Daniel Svensson. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool are reportedly among three Premier League clubs interested in FC Nordsjaelland full-back Daniel Svensson. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Botswana will host Mauritania in their penultimate 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier at Francistown Stadium on Friday. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea midfielder Romeo Lavia has provided a positive injury update ahead of potentially representing Belgium. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Scotland's stay in the UEFA Nations League's top tier could be brought to its end on Friday, when they face an almost must-win game against League A Group 1 rivals Croatia. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Lamine Yamal is among a number of absentees for Spain, as the national side conclude their 2024-25 UEFA Nations League group-stage campaign with fixtures against Denmark and Switzerland. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Spain will be bidding to secure top spot in Group 4 of League A in the 2024-25 UEFA Nations League when they head to Denmark on Friday evening for what is shaping up to be an intriguing affair. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Brighton & Hove Albion forward Danny Welbeck has claimed that speculation regarding a potential return to Manchester United is "irrelevant".